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Wednesday, 12 February 2014

'Religious Freedom' Rep Funded by Same Group that Backs Islamophobes

The Council on American-Islamic Relations
(CAIR), the nation's largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy
organization, today repeated its request to the United States
Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) to investigate
one of its own members, this time for being funded by the same group
that backs a number of notorious Islamophobes.

In a letter sent today to USCIRF Chairman Dr. Robert P. George, Corey Saylor, director of CAIR's Department to Monitor and Combat Islamophobia, wrote in part:

"We are writing today to expand upon the concerns regarding Dr. Zuhdi Jasser that were expressed on our letter to you dated January 24, 2014.
Additional information has come to light regarding the financial
dependence of Dr. Jasser's American Islamic Forum for Democracy (AIFD)
on groups known for promoting Islamophobia in the United States.

"Tax filings for the New York-based Abstraction Fund reveal that between 2010 and 2012, Jasser's organization accepted $45,000 in grants and contributions. In 2012, 82 percent of the Fund's total $1,982,930 contributions and grants went to groups known for their active role in spreading anti-Islam prejudice."

Saylor's letter cited funding of anti-Islam groups such as the Center for Security Policy, the head of which was a key witness for the plaintiffs in a controversial lawsuit against a mosque being built in Tennessee, where he promoted the notion that mosques want to "destroy western civilization from within."

Another group funded by the Abstraction Fund and cited in the letter is Steven Emerson's Investigative Project on Terrorism, which recently published an Islamophobic article stating: "Europe
is still...captivated by the specious charms of the Arabs and Islam"
and "...pitiful Arab, whose inherent culture left him no shred of
sincerity, creativity or courage."

Other Abstraction Fund-backed groups include Jihad Watch, an anti-Muslim blog published by Robert Spencer.
The Boston Globe has described Spencer as a man who "depicts Islam as
an inherently violent religion." Spencer has referred to Islam's Prophet
Muhammad as a "con man. Someone who is knowing [sic] that what he is
saying is false, but is fooling his followers."

In June 2013, the Catholic Diocese of Sacramento
requested that the Kolbe Academy, a Catholic school, rescind a speaking
invitation they extended to Spencer. The diocese referred to Spencer as
a "key leader in the anti-Islam hate movement in the United States."

Spencer is a co-founder of Stop Islamization of America
(SIOA), which has been designated as a hate group by the Southern
Poverty Law Center (SPLC). Spencer's Jihad Watch blog is also designated
as a hate group by the SPLC, which named Spencer as part of the
nation's "Anti-Muslim Inner Circle."

The Middle East Forum (MEF), headed by Islamophobe Daniel Pipes,
also received funds from the Abstraction Fund. Pipes is infamous for
quotes such as: "Western European societies are unprepared for the
massive immigration of brown-skinned peoples cooking strange foods and
maintaining different standards of hygiene. All immigrants bring exotic
customs and attitudes, but Muslim customs are more troublesome than
most." [NOTE: Jasser has accepted donations from Middle East Forum.]

In concluding his letter to USCIRF, Saylor wrote:

"CAIR
values, advocates for and has pursued legal action to protect free
speech and freedom of expression. Dr. Jasser has every right to advocate
for the causes and organizations with which he chooses to align AIFD.
At issue here is the reasonable concern that arises regarding Dr. Jasser
accepting financial support from anti-Muslim groups while he is serving
on a commission advocating for religious freedom.

"Given the expanding evidence of AFID's financial dependency on groups funding anti-Muslim prejudice in the United States, we do not believe Dr. Jasser can act as an honest voice regarding religious freedom domestically or internationally."

In 2013, CAIR published a major report, "Legislating Fear: Islamophobia and its Impact in the United States,"
which identifies 37 organizations dedicated to promoting the type of
anti-Islam prejudice that can lead to bias-motivated incidents targeting
American Muslims.

Jasser
was featured in that report as an enabler of anti-Muslim bigotry. The
report noted that Jasser heads a group that "applauded" an amendment to Oklahoma's state Constitution that would have implemented state-sponsored discrimination against Islam.

KINDLE: Legislating Fear: Islamophobia and its Impact in the United States

Jasser
also narrated "The Third Jihad," a propaganda film created by the
Clarion Fund, which depicts Muslims as inherently violent and seeking
world domination. Following revelations that the film was shown as part
of training at the New York Police Department, Police Commissioner Ray Kelly called it "wacky" and "objectionable."

In
2012, a broad national coalition of 64 organizations and individuals
sent a letter to Senators Inouye, McConnell and Durbin expressing "deep
concern" at the appointment of Zuhdi Jasser to USCIRF.

In
that letter, the coalition asked that Jasser's appointment be rescinded
and noted that Jasser believes "operationally, Islam is not peaceful,"
supports measures that threaten and diminish religious freedoms within the United States, "applauded" the anti-Islam amendment to Oklahoma's constitution, opposed the constitutionally-protected construction of a Muslim community center in lower Manhattan, supported the New York
Police Department's blanket surveillance of Muslims based on religion
rather than evidence or suspicion of wrongdoing, and that he has
extensive ties to virulently anti-Muslim groups and individual
Islamophobes.

CAIR
is America's largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization.
Its mission is to enhance the understanding of Islam, encourage
dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims, and build
coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding.

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